


an angel ain't what I need

by Sabyisaloser



Series: A Boy and his Demon [1]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Haunting, M/M, demon!Corpse, softboy!Sykkuno
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:28:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27419557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sabyisaloser/pseuds/Sabyisaloser
Summary: Sure Corpse hadn't haunted anyone in years and he was a little rusty, but this was a depressing first. Demons weren't supposed to feel warm and gooey, especially over a human.
Relationships: Corpse Husband & Sykkuno (Video Blogging RPF), Corpse Husband/Sykkuno (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: A Boy and his Demon [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2019469
Comments: 107
Kudos: 2368





	1. Chapter 1

Corpse hadn’t done much the past couple of years, the house he was tied to had been vacant for far too long. The last family hadn’t been in a rush to fix it up and sell it apparently. He had done such a good job haunting it that they had packed their things and left one night, never to be seen again. Some movers had come and boxed up some things, but they weren’t there very long and Corpse had decided to rest instead of making the effort to scare them.

He had spent most of his days lounging around alone, sleeping as much as a demon can sleep when they’re stuck half way between the land of the living and the land of the dead. A few errant spirits had wandered in, attracted to his energy, but they were either scared off once they realized he was a demon or they dissipated too quickly to form any real connection. Not that he was looking for a connection. He was just… waiting, waiting for the next person to move in so he could start haunting again.

He wasn’t expecting that person to be a single guy with a lot of plants. Corpse felt the life of the place running through him like cold water in his veins. It was refreshing, if a little hard to get used to. The man was moving all of his stuff in on a particularly sunny day, humming to himself. Some friends who were far louder than the occupant were helping him with his furniture. 

Corpse watched, no thought to his future haunting just yet. This guy, Sykkuno apparently, wasn’t particularly tall but not short either, and cute enough for a human. One of the friends made some comment Corpse didn’t hear and Sykkuno laughed behind his hand. Okay, so he was cuter than a normal human. Corpse could deal with that. 

When the other humans finally left Sykkuno tended to his plants, arranging them in the sunlight. He spoke softly to them as if he treasured each and every leaf, so softly that Corpse couldn’t hear unless he stood directly behind Sykkuno.  
“Don’t worry, you’ll be back to yourself in no time!” He was breathing the words into a small, sweet smelling tree with a broken branch. “And you all are being strong as always,” Sykkuno laughed at the succulents he had placed next to the perfume plant. Corpse felt something inside him twist bitterly. Is this all it took for humans to be happy? Some mindless growing greenery that didn’t even talk back? No one would ever talk to him like that, soft and warm and full of adoration and the sudden desire for it made him recoil. He was a demon for fuck’s sake.

Sykkuno reacted to the sudden swell of energy in the room and Corpse saw the hairs on the human’s arms raise, his eyes darted around the space nervously. When Sykkuno saw that nothing was there he laughed it off, rubbing his soft hands up and down his arms to shake away the feeling. 

“Must have been wind or something.” He murmured to a snake plant who stood tall in silent response. Corpse needed to get himself together. He knew he was rusty but losing control thinking about human feelings was a new low for him. Except pettiness, that was a human feeling he was willing to embrace, and when Sykkuno left to get water from the kitchen Corpse hovered a clawed finger over the snake plant. 

His face contorted, would be brows knitting over glowing eyes. He willed himself to do it, nothing was stopping him. His hesitation felt like a physical force gripping him and holding him back. Why couldn’t he just do it? He startled when Sykkuno dropped the watering can in the sink and used the moment to finally brush his finger across the plant. He watched the leaves wilt and die, the life sucked out of it in an instant. Sykkuno’s crestfallen face when he returned to see his plant dead, tears threatening to fall from his eyes, was almost painful to watch. 

“I’m sorry,” Sykkuno hiccupped out an apology to his dead friend, “I should have taken better care of you…” Corpse had never felt guilty before this, guilt was a horrible human emotion and he hated it.


	2. Chapter 2

The next couple weeks would be filled with hesitant moments. Normally Corpse would spend some time getting to know the people he was out to terrify, learning their weaknesses and what they were scared of. Not this time though, this time he wanted to get right into haunting so he could get out of his emotion induced rut.

Sykkuno had been washing dishes the first time Corpse tried to really scare him, singing along quietly to some anime song that had been stuck in his head for three days now. Corpse really wanted to find the repetitive upbeat melody annoying but instead he found himself thinking it was endearing, _endearing_.

When Sykkuno stumbled over the chorus he didn’t quite know the words to Corpse felt the corners of his mouth twitch into a smile and he panicked. He slammed open the silverware drawer and the sound of clinking metal filled the small kitchen space. Sykkuno jumped, wincing in pain immediately after. He pulled his hand from the dirty water and a small cut on his index finger bloomed with red.

Corpse shut the drawer with a lot less violence than he had opened it. Sykkuno stared at it, obviously frightened, but he was holding his cut finger tightly and he eventually decided that the wound took priority. He shuffled through a drawer on the opposite counter from the one Corpse had messed with, his movements getting more frantic each second he couldn’t find the band aids.

“I – I know they’re in here.” Sykkuno was talking to himself, probably to calm his nerves, and Corpse caved. Sykkuno was looking in the wrong place. Corpse pulled the drawer next to Sykkuno out slowly, just an inch or two, enough to show the new box of band-aids Sykkuno had put there only a day ago. Sykkuno looked over wide-eyed, but he got the message. He finished wrapping his finger but instead of running from the kitchen in fear he just stood there, staring at the counter top with a confused face.

“Uhm… Are – Is anyone…” Sykkuno looked around the kitchen, probably hoping to catch a glimpse of whoever had opened the drawer for him. When he saw nothing he laughed nervously and ran his fingers through his hair.

“Living alone sure makes you imagine crazy stuff I guess,” he said to no one in particular, returning to his dishes. He opted to use green dish gloves with small, tongue out dog faces all over them. Corpse bent forward to put his elbows on the counter next to the sink, pushing back his twisted rabbit ears to rest his head in his hands, and groaned. Sykkuno was too much, he was too weak, and this would be the hardest haunting he had ever done.

Corpse decided his next course of action would be to fuck with the power. It was a pretty guaranteed way to freak someone out so he didn’t have to worry about it backfiring on him. Normally people would feel uneasy just being around him, being watched and scrutinized by him. His demonic energy was enough to have them constantly on edge.

Sykkuno however made no indication that Corpse’s presence was affecting him. Maybe Corpse wasn’t radiating enough malicious energy. As he lounged on the couch watching Sykkuno malicious energy was the last thing he could probably muster. Sykkuno was working, he had some tech center job taking support calls and he was insanely good at it. Even the most angry clients seemed to be at peace by the time Sykkuno was done helping them.

It was probably that angelic voice, or the nice personality, or the pure, bone deep kindness. Corpse laid his head back against the arm rest and slung his arm over his eyes. He was trying to shut the power off to scare Sykkuno, but Sykkuno was still working after nightfall and Corpse couldn’t bring himself to interrupt his work. He didn’t want Sykkuno to lose his job and move out.

He didn’t want him to move out because he wanted to haunt him, feed on his terrified energy, and that was it. Not because he like hearing his soft tones when he talked to the plants or because the warm alive-ness of the place felt good. Definitely not because of that.

“Uhm Sir I –“ Sykkuno started, interrupted by a yelling client. “No sir I can see…” Corpse could see anxiety flash across the human’s features and he pulled himself off the couch to listen to the man yelling through the headset.

“Your stupid center said it would work out of the box but it doesn’t work!”

“Yes sir, you said tha-“

“and you’re the third dumb, lazy tech support person with no answers.” Sykkuno’s fingertips flexed against the keyboard keys in restrained emotion. Corpse on the other hand was letting the anger bubble up inside him.  
“Sir you have to charge it before –“

“Don’t talk back to me you stupid ass bitch I’ll –“ Corpse had heard enough and the power to the entire house was out before the man could finish his sentence, the lightbulbs in the overhead light snapping with an overwhelmed pop. NO ONE talked to Sykkuno like that.

Sykkuno sighed in relief and slouched in his computer chair. Corpse was supposed to be scaring him, but instead he just felt the anger leaving his body. Sykkuno stood to try and figure out what happened, peering out the windows to see if his neighbors lost power first and then stumbling around with his phone to see if he could find a circuit breaker.

Scaring him, right. Corpse could still scare him. This wasn’t a lost attempt. Corpse let the power flicker, the lights that hadn’t fully burned out blinked ominously and the tv that Sykkuno never used roared to life, filling the living room with loud white noise. Sykkuno was finally scared. He whipped around to the tv, gasping with a hand to his chest as if it would help still his hammering heart.

“I – is anyone there?” Corpse smirked a little. So the tv was what got him, he could work with that. He let the power die, giving Sykkuno only a minute in the darkness before the tv blinked back on, this time to a channel playing a horror movie at full volume. Sykkuno watched, wide-eyed and mouth open, as some blond girl was murdered on screen.

Just one more push was all it would take and Corpse would have successfully scared Sykkuno enough that he could feel like his old, demonic self again. He gripped hard on Sykkuno’s back, clawed fingertips pressing in slightly and Sykkuno screamed. He dropped to his knees and grasped the edge of the couch as if it would support him. Corpse immediately turned the power back on and knelt by the shaking man. Okay, too far. Maybe he had been a tiny bit too eager to scare Sykkuno and he didn’t realize exactly what he was doing. He was normally so much better at reading someone’s body language than this.

Corpse hovered his hand over Sykkuno awkwardly. He couldn’t comfort him like he had seen humans do to each other, that would only scare him more. His mind was racing with a thousand things he had seen humans do but there was almost nothing he could do that would actually make Sykkuno feel better.

He did the only thing he could think of, and maybe it would end up scaring Sykkuno more but fuck it, at least it was something. Corpse lifted the small stuffed dog gently from where Sykkuno kept it by his computer, smoothing out its white fur with a care he hadn’t shown anything before now, and dropped it ungraciously in front of the other man.

Sykkuno reached for it, hesitated, and reached for it again, finally pulling it against his chest and pushing his face against the soft toy. His breathing evened out after a moment and he worked up the courage to look around the room. Corpse almost wanted Sykkuno to see him this time, but he ran his tongue across pointed teeth and decided against it.

“uh… uhm… Th-thank you.” Sykkuno whispered it into the empty air. Corpse felt his heart clench. He didn’t deserve thanks, not when he was responsible for scaring Sykkuno in the first place. He felt the anger building up inside him again, this time not at the asshole on the phone but at himself. What the fuck was he doing? What in the absolute fuck was he doing?

Corpse tried to keep his distance for a few days, lamenting in the small space that could be a considered an attic if it was accessible to the house below, but the anger didn’t fade. Sykkuno had started jumping a little each time Corpse kicked at the rafters or punched down into the boards of the ceiling, but he was frustrated. He was mad at himself and at Sykkuno and a little bit at the whole universe for the position he was in.

He heard Sykkuno’s voice mumbling to his plants and he deflated a little. Locking himself away wasn’t going to help, that much was obvious, so he drifted down to stand near the other man and listen while he watered the various greenery around the small home.

“Wow, you’re looking so beautiful today!” Sykkuno exclaimed in fake shock as he watered a philodendron that was painstakingly draped across his entertainment center. An intrusive ‘you too Sykkuno’ forced itself through Corpse’s head and he groaned. He did not think Sykkuno was beautiful, _he didn’t_. As if to purposefully prove him wrong Sykkuno laughed behind his hand, sunlight glittering across his dark hair, illuminating his perfect features, and Corpse was overwhelmed.

He lashed out, knocking books out of the entertainment center Sykkuno was standing at, and the other man took a step back. It wasn’t enough though, Corpse wanted him afraid. This time he wouldn’t feel guilty about it either like a stupid, emotional human. When Sykkuno glanced at the books at his feet Corpse ripped the entertainment center away from the wall and toppled it.

It wasn’t a big shelf, Sykkuno’s tv was barely bigger than his computer monitors and besides the books and the philodendron there wasn’t much else it could hold, but Sykkuno still scrambled backwards to stop himself from being trapped underneath it. His leg caught the edge of a coffee table and he fell.

Corpse’s reaction was automatic. He snagged Sykkuno by the elbow to keep him upright and steady him on his feet. Warmth flooded through him, starting at where his hand was clenched tight on Sykkuno. He pulled his hand back as if it had been burned. Sykkuno didn’t seem afraid, instead he was looking down at his elbow like it would explain everything to him if he stared long enough.

There was a tense moment in the heavy air where neither knew what to do. Sykkuno moved first, sighing sadly and moving to right his entertainment center. Corpse just watched, feeling betrayed by his own body to the point that even a single step seemed like too much. Sykkuno picked up the books, arranging them back alphabetically and Corpse swore eons passed.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get you repotted and you’ll be good as new.” Sykkuno scooped up the philodendron, careful to keep any of its vines from taking more damage, and carried it to the kitchen. Corpse released a tension he didn’t even know he was holding when Sykkuno was finally gone. So much for not feeling guilty.

Corpse hated himself for what he was about to do, but he couldn’t stop it any more than he could stop himself from catching Sykkuno. He pulled very specific books from the shelf where Sykkuno had just put them and laid them out upright on the coffee table delicately so he wouldn’t make a sound and draw the human’s attention. He assessed his work, making sure the spines were all visible.

He wasn’t sure if Sykkuno would get it, but from what Corpse had seen so far he was smart enough. It wasn’t a particularly difficult puzzle and Corpse wasn’t about to use his actual voice on Sykkuno right now. Sykkuno froze, eyes trained on the books in front of him and the newly potted philodendron held protectively in front of him.

“Statistical Learning, One Piece, Return of the King, Romeo and Juliet, Year of Wonders.” Sykkuno laughed as he read the titles out loud and Corpse felt some tension melt out of his body. Sykkuno was still smiling as he slid the philodendron into place, so close to Corpse the demon could feel his body heat. “Apology accepted.”

The next time didn’t go any better for Corpse. He was almost defeated at this point, it had been days of him just wandering the house watching Sykkuno, too guilty to scare him. Corpse let himself drop heavily on the couch to watch Sykkuno play some game with his friends. Sykkuno’s eyes snapped to the couch and the atmosphere shifted. Corpse looked down to where he was forming a slight dip in the furniture. So Sykkuno was at least fully aware he was being haunted at this point. It was a measly victory but Corpse counted it anyway.

“Is someone… is someone there?” Sykkuno’s voice was a little more confident that then last time he asked it and Corpse froze, stilling entirely in case the smallest movement would give him away. Sykkuno definitely didn’t seem as scared as he should be, he just shook his head and laughed at himself before turning back to his game.

By the time Sykkuno finished and said goodbye Corpse was contemplating giving up, returning to hell and abandoning the world of the living all together. He hated hell, fuck that was kind of the whole point of the place, but what else could he do? Sykkuno sat carefully on the couch next to Corpse. His posture was stiff and he was sitting right on the edge, giving himself the opportunity to run away if he needed it.

“If you’re a ghost you can – Oh God I’m talking to a ghost.” Sykkuno seemed to give up on the flight reflex and leaned back into the couch, looking over to the side where the dip in the cushion was. Corpse could almost feel Sykkuno’s eyes as if the other man could see him.

“If you’re a ghost,” Sykkuno started again, “is there… something I can do to help you?” Corpse panicked, full on mental breakdown levels on panic. He had seen someone have a panic attack once when he scared them and he finally understood why they didn’t run like people normally did when he had gotten to them. Sykkuno shivered, exhaling a visible breath, but he pushed on.

“Please don’t be scared! If that’s what uh… If that’s what the cold is all about.” It didn’t help, now Corpse felt guilty, and scared, and confused, and it only made things worse. He could tell he was tipping the temperature into dangerous lows but he couldn’t control it. Sykkuno rubbed his hands across his bare arms.

“I don’t think I’m crazy. You’re… h - here right?” Sykkuno’s teeth clacked a bit in the cold. Corpse refused to speak, he couldn’t. He didn’t know what he’d say. He didn’t even know what the hell he was doing anymore. But the way Sykkuno was just sitting there determined, sticking out the cold to help the ‘ghost’ who was sharing his place was impossible to ignore.

Corpse stood and Sykkuno noticed the couch move. Corpse hadn’t had trouble controlling the amount of presence he had in the human world before but he figured he might as well just add it to his list of many failures and move on. He yanked a blanket out of the hall closet, no regard for the other things that fell, and marched it over to Sykkuno.

There was terror in Sykkuno’s eyes, even if he was trying to swallow it down. He tried to take the blanket from Corpse with shaky hands but withdrew them at the last minute and squeezed his eyes closed and if that would make the world disappear. Corpse knew first hand that didn’t work.

“This isn’t real, there’s no way a shadowy ghost is handing me a blanket right now,” Sykkuno tried to desperately convince himself. “I will wake up and this will be a dream.” Corpse hadn’t noticed he was projecting his form now, not fully, but he could feel wisps of himself stuck in the land of the living. He didn’t want to admit to himself that despite Sykkuno’s fear being his ultimate goal it felt like a knife twisting in his heart right now.

He draped the blanket around Sykkuno’s shoulders and managed to control himself enough to hide himself from Sykkuno fully. The cold lingered though, the freezing temperatures seemed to match his current despair and there was nothing to be done about it. Sykkuno pulled the blanket tight around his shoulders and finally opened his eyes.

“I’ll find a way to talk to you. I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for all the kind comments, my heart is so warm right now. (:


	3. Chapter 3

Corpse hadn’t expected Sykkuno to find a way so fast, but after a day of research and a trip to the store Sykkuno returned with a Ouija board. He had laid it out on the kitchen table as the sun was setting.

“White candles right…?” Sykkuno mumbled to himself as he lit the cheap dollar store candles in cute, flower shaped holders. Corpse laughed to himself. It was the first time anyone had used something so… not scary to try and commune with the dead.

Sykkuno held a jar of dried sage in one had and a salt shaker in the other, hesitating before he placed them down. At the last second he turned and put them back into the spice cupboard voicing the reason to Corpse with a quiet, “too much protection and you won’t be able to talk back right?”

Corpse nodded along as if Sykkuno could see him. Truthfully, he was a demon and that made him much stronger than a basic ghost or malevolent spirit. Sage, salt, or white candles were pretty much useless. Hell, they _barely_ worked on the basic ghosts. The little, aluminum pentagram that looked like Sykkuno had gotten if from a grocery store vending machine was useless too and Corpse wondered where Sykkuno had read that he needed it.

Sykkuno sat in front of the board and placed his shaky fingers on the planchette, apparently as ready as he’d ever be. The sun was almost completely gone now and the candles flickered valiantly in the darkening kitchen. Corpse blew them out and chuckled at Sykkuno’s sudden gasp. He lit them back up before Sykkuno could scramble to the light switch.

“I guess that means you’re here.” Sykkuno laughed a little behind his hand and while his fingers were off the planchette Corpse moved it to yes.

“Oh, good uhm…” Sykkuno was trying to think of his first question but it seemed like he hadn’t thought that far ahead. Corpse could be patient, it wasn’t like he had anything better to do. Sykkuno finally decided on “what’s your name?” Corpse spelled it out carefully for him.

“Corpse? That’s a pretty scary name.” Sykkuno didn’t look scared though, he looked amused. “Was that your name when you were a human?” Corpse paused, conflicted about telling Sykkuno what he was. He settled for n o t h u m a n.

“Not human? Does that mean you aren’t a ghost?” Corpse slid the planchette to no.

“What… are you then?” Corpse started to move the planchette to d and then let go. There’s no way Sykkuno would keep talking to him after he revealed what he was… right? And demons were masters of lying, he could make something up, something that would put Sykkuno at ease.

“D – E – M – O – N… Demon!?” Sykkuno scraped his chair backward against the ceramic tile of the kitchen as he stood in a sudden panic. Fuck. Corpse knew he shouldn’t have told the truth. But Sykkuno let out a ragged breath and composed himself, pulling the chair back and returning far steadier fingers to the planchette.

“You don’t seem… I – I’m not trying to be offensive!” Sykkuno looked to the side to think about what he wanted to say. “You don’t seem mean enough to be a demon, is all.” Corpse wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say to that. Right now he was failing spectacularly at being a demon so Sykkuno wasn’t wrong. He decided fuck it, if he was going to be honest he might as well be _honest_.

“L – I – K – E… Like you?” Sykkuno’s brows knit in confusion. “Are you saying you like me?” If Corpse had human skin it would be glowing red with embarrassment. He slid the heart shaped wood over to yes. Sykkuno’s own blush was well worth it.

“Oh. I, uhm, like you too.” Corpse doubted it, Sykkuno didn’t know him after all, but he felt glad to hear it even so. “I mean you comforted me when I was scared! And brought me a blanket!” Sykkuno had his hand up in front of him like he was trying to defend himself against Corpse’s train of thought. Maybe Sykkuno did like him, but that made him feel guilty all over again. He scratched at the planchette for a minute with his claw before moving it again.

“Scared you. Hm…” Sykkuno moved to rest a hand on his chin, “I guess you did scare me. You had to though right? Being a demon and all.” Corpse hated that Sykkuno was defending him, and that he was right again, so he snapped the little wood to yes in a huff.

“Do you have to keep scaring me?” It was such a loaded question, he didn’t have to exactly. He probably wouldn’t die if he didn’t. He’d definitely be weaker without someone’s fear but he still wouldn’t be as weak as a ghost. But if he didn’t try to scare him what would he do?

The thought of just existing in Sykkuno’s space quietly was bittersweet and he felt his chest tighten. He would like to stay around Sykkuno, but he would just… be there, watching, as Sykkuno lived his life, fell in love, got married, had kids. What would he do then? He could feel himself losing control, but he was getting used to the fluctuation of human emotions. He retreated before anything happened, just in case, and left Sykkuno alone with a dead Ouija board in a dark kitchen.

The next two days Corpse’s attempts to haunt Sykkuno, if he could even call it haunting at this point, were half-assed at best. He’d move something and Sykkuno would smile, he’d flicker a light and Sykkuno would smile at that too. Corpse didn’t want to admit that he found himself smiling in return.

Sykkuno would talk about things out loud to Corpse, just small things here and there. It was some story about why he liked the food he was cooking, a semi-annoyed, affectionate grumble about something his friends had done, and Corpse found himself entranced.

“I wonder what you look like,” Sykkuno mused while he folded laundry. Corpse didn’t smile this time. He thought about what he looked like, and sure demons were more human looking than angels. He remembered sneaking into a house with a guardian ophanim once expecting some glowing white light and pretty soft human figure. What he saw was a nightmarish series of eye covered flesh rings spinning around violently.

Still, he was obviously demonic. He had a mouth full of pointed teeth, gnarled, horn-like rabbit ears, glowing light where non-existent eyes should be, and clawed hands. Except when Corpse looked down his claws were shorter than he remembered. Regardless, Sykkuno would understand just why he should be afraid if he were to ever actually see Corpse.

“Do you look like demons on tv? Like cartoon ones with red skin?” Corpse didn’t know if Sykkuno was actually asking, or just saying whatever he was thinking. He may not want Sykkuno to see him, but he _definitely_ didn’t want him picturing some weird cartoon demon when he thought of Corpse.

Corpse plucked the Ouija board off the kitchen counter and dropped it with a cheap, woody clack onto the coffee table next to where Sykkuno had a stack of folded towels. Sykkuno jumped a little, mimicking the planchette as it bounced, but he was getting so used to the random noises and objects moving it was barely noticeable. Corpse slid the game piece to no and Sykkuno laughed at him.

“So you don’t look like a cartoon demon,” Sykkuno nodded to himself, still smiling, and abandoned his laundry. “What do you look like then?” Corpse debated what he should say but he eventually settled on s c a r y.

“You look scary? Hmm…. I wonder if you look as scary as you act?” Sykkuno laughed at his own joke and Corpse stared at him, affronted. “I’m kidding! It’s just a joke!” Corpse spelled out ‘h a h a’ and hoped his own sarcasm came across. Sykkuno snickered so apparently it did. Corpse knew he was really losing control of the situation fully as he shuffled between letters.

“You’re cute.” Sykkuno followed along and then blushed bright red, attempting to hid his face behind his hand. “Cute!? I’m not cute!” Corpse slid the planchette to yes. Sykkuno scratched through his hair awkwardly.

“It’s nice of you to say that but –“ He was cut off by Corpse slapping a hand over his mouth. It was the most wide-eyed Corpse had ever seen the human and he quickly scrambled out his next message so he could let Sykkuno go, n o b u t s. Sykkuno laughed softly when his mouth was finally free.

“Okay, no buts… but uhm – or I guess that was a but,” he stuttered nervously through what he wanted to say. “but I can’t compliment you back because I don’t know what you look like.” Corpse wasn’t sure what to say to that so he stared at the planchette helplessly.

“At least I know you’re a nice guy.” No one had ever called Corpse a nice guy before. It made him feel awkward and ashamed, demons weren’t supposed to be nice, but just below that he felt warmth, he was glad Sykkuno thought he was nice. He spelled out thanks, and he meant it.

“You’re very welcome.” Sykkuno was smiling as he went back to folding.

Sykkuno had left the Ouija board in the living room so he and Corpse could talk a bit. It was hard to communicate considering Sykkuno spent most of his time at his computer, but it was a kind gesture regardless. Corpse didn’t say much though. He felt like he was in a weird, grey fog. He couldn’t decide where he stood or what he wanted so he was trying to keep his distance.

At least until Sykkuno plopped down onto the couch and patted the cushion next to him. Corpse complied, sitting next to him without even thinking about it.

“Hey Corpse, if you’re there do you want to watch a movie?” Corpse sighed and slid the planchette to yes. He had watched movies a few times with families he was haunting, they seemed okay. It was better than doing nothing.

“How about this one? It seems funny.” Sykkuno was scrolling through his recommended on Netflix. “Maybe we should watch something scary… that would be more your taste right?” Sykkuno was smirking a little, hinting that it was a joke. Corpse smiled back and shut the tv off. Sykkuno laughed behind his hand.

“Okay okay, we can watch the comedy!” They settled in to the couch to watch some movie about friends getting into trouble. Sykkuno laughed along with it and Corpse couldn’t help but watch him more than the movie. Speaking of movies though, Corpse had seen something in a few movies that humans who liked each other did, and it seemed easy enough.

He slid his arm across the back of the couch, behind Sykkuno. The other man stilled a little and his laughter settled, so Corpse knew Sykkuno could feel him. He swallowed the lump in his throat, the fear that was even stronger than when he saw that fucking angel, and let his arm fall to Sykkuno’s shoulders.

“Oh, uh- uhm…” Sykkuno was surprised, not moving away but clearly trying to process what was happening. Corpse panicked and pulled his arm away. He was so much worse at reading humans than he thought he was.

“No!” Sykkuno nearly shouted, his voice a little desperate. “I mean uh… I…” He dug his fingers into the couch to still his nerves and whispered out, “I liked that.” Corpse hesitantly returned his arm and Sykkuno attempted to settle against it. It was hard with Corpse being invisible and barely in the corporeal realm to begin with but Sykkuno made it work.

When the movie was over neither made a move to leave, unwilling to break the semi-intimate calm they had created. It felt like time was standing still and at the same time ages had passed by the time Sykkuno moved a hand close to where Corpse would be on the seat next to him.

“Is it weird to be attracted to a demon you can’t see..?” Sykkuno whispered into the air, staring at the couch with face so red Corpse might worry he had a fever. It took more energy to move the planchette on the Ouija board without touching it himself, but Corpse couldn’t bring himself to pull his arm away from Sykkuno. He slid the wood to yes and Sykkuno glanced at it but didn’t react.

“Is it weird to for a demon to be attracted to a human?” Corpse moved the planchette enough for Sykkuno to know he was controlling it, but kept it on yes.

“Are you… attracted to me?” Sykkuno’s heart was hammering so hard Corpse could feel it through his entire being. He repeated his answer a third time and Sykkuno smiled. They stayed in the quiet living room, Corpse’s arm firmly where he had it during the movie, for a little longer until Sykkuno finally announced he was going to bed.

Corpse had to do something. He couldn’t keep himself in limbo, trying to decide if he was going to keep haunting Sykkuno or keep…. Keep flirting with him. He couldn’t keep using the Ouija board and he couldn’t hide his face forever, no matter what he decided. He agonized to the sound of Sykkuno washing his face and brushing his teeth.

He knew deep down the right answer would be to squash down his crush, and he could admit to himself it was a crush, to go back to trying to scare the human so he could keep his strength and stay out of hell. But… he didn’t _want_ to. He wanted to keep watching movies with Sykkuno, to keep joking around, to keep touching him.

He finally decided on one last-ditch effort to scare him. That way he could say he tried, and if it didn’t work it would be over. He pushed open Sykkuno’s ajar door so he could enter his dark bedroom. The human was asleep enough that he didn’t open his eyes, but Corpse could see he wasn’t fully asleep yet either.

Corpse was going to use the oldest trick in the haunting book. It was so basic just about everything used it, ghost, demon, hell even some basic spirit wisps managed it. He was going to call Sykkuno’s name as he was falling asleep. If his voice scared Sykkuno then he would go back to haunting him, if not… well they wouldn’t need to Ouija board anymore.

He knelt down next to Sykkuno’s sleeping figure and hesitated. Sykkuno was so peaceful, so gorgeous in the low light. He steeled his nerves and in an almost whisper called to the human.

“Sykkuno.” Sykkuno’s eyes snapped open, locking on to Corpse’s own. They were so precise, so trained on him that it seemed like he could _see_ Corpse. That’s when Corpse felt it and he looked down. His nerves had gotten the better of him and he was fully projecting his form, he hadn’t even held back enough to remain a shadow. When he looked back up to meet Sykkuno’s eyes the other man was smiling at him.

“Hey Corpse.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a big exam in one of my classes this week so the next chapter might be a little slower to come out than the others. Don't worry though! I will 100% finish this story. <3


	4. Chapter 4

“Hm, I guess I was right to be attracted to you.” Sykkuno giggled behind his hand the next day, finally able to properly appraise Corpse in the light. Corpse was suddenly thankful he didn’t have human skin or it would be bright red.

After that everything seemed easier. Sykkuno would smile at him while he lounged on the couch, he could help Sykkuno water the plants, if he didn’t touch them of course. Corpse especially liked it when he slid up behind Sykkuno while he was cooking, pressing his broader body against the human, and whispered about how cute he was in his ear. Sykkuno’s embarrassed stutter that followed made him feel warm all over.

All the flirting and cute domesticity made it that much harder for Corpse to see him sad. Sykkuno was supposed to meet up with friends, he had planned it all out and invited them with the promise of paying for everything. They were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago to pick him up.

Sykkuno was sitting next to him on the couch, unlocking and locking his phone and willing it to have an answer for him. He was worrying his lip with his teeth and Corpse was sure he was going to draw blood if he wasn’t careful.

“It’s only twenty minutes.” Sykkuno acted like he was explaining to Corpse, but he was really just trying to reassure himself. Corpse still wasn’t great with words, Sykkuno was the first human he had talked to without the intent to terrify, so he reached a hand out and tentatively rested it on Sykkuno’s arm. Sykkuno flashed him a small smile and scooched across the couch so he could be right next to Corpse, twisting his body up to face the demon.

“I.. uhm,” he looked away in shame as he gathered his words. “Sometimes I worry that they only hung out with me because we lived together.” Sykkuno’s tone was soft, quiet, and heavy with heart wrenching sadness. Corpse let his hand wander up to Sykkuno’s face, urging him to look up. He rubbed his thumb against Sykkuno’s sharp cheekbone and refused to worry about the fact there was a very human looking thumbnail where his claw should be.

“How could they not want to spend time with you? You’re amazing.” Sykkuno laughed a little but didn’t look away.

“I don’t know about that. I –“

“Sykkuno you’re the only person I’ve ever wanted to spend time with in the hundreds of years I’ve been on this Earth. You’re amazing.” Sykkuno sputtered with wide eyes, staring directly at Corpse as if he had just told him the secret to the universe. Corpse chuckled, that _should_ have been his reaction to seeing a demon, not to being told he was amazing.

“I – wha?” Sykkuno covered his mouth and tried to shake his head, not enough to shake off Corpse’s hand that was sliding to the back of his neck though. “The only – really?”

“Yes really.”

“I don’t… know what to say.” Corpse used his free hand to pull Sykkuno’s hand away from his mouth and place it on his own shoulder.

“You don’t have to say anything.” If Corpse had a human mouth he would have kissed Sykkuno right then, just to show him how much he really meant it. He settled for pulling Sykkuno forward so he could rest his forehead against the other man’s. Sykkuno seemed to understand the message and wrapped his arms around Corpse to pull him closer.

“Sykkuno…” Corpse whispered it out and he felt Sykkuno shiver in his arms. Then there was a loud knock on the door and Sykkuno jumped up, Corpse disappearing in an instant. He didn’t need other people seeing him, and he was sure Sykkuno didn’t need his friends seeing him in _that_ position with a fucking demon.

One of Sykkuno’s friends burst through the door without knocking a second time and Sykkuno was glancing between the spot Corpse had been in and the man in a panic.

“Oh my God Sykkuno I am so sorry, Lily put the address in wrong and the GPS led us to some other house and –“

“Oh Toast, uhm hi,” Sykkuno slipped his jacket on and ushered the man out the door in a rush. He paused at the doorway.

“I forgot my phone, let me grab it and I’ll meet you in the car.” Toast gave him a skeptical look but went to the car anyway. Sykkuno used the moment to whisper into the not so empty space with a soft smile. “I’ll see you later tonight.”

Corpse didn’t handle the sudden, crushing loneliness well. Before this he had spent all of his time on his own and he _liked_ that. Is this how humans felt when they were away from the people they cared about? All… sad and mopey and heavy. He hated it.

He also knew that Sykkuno wouldn’t always be here, every second of the every day. He wouldn’t ask him to be, it was healthy for Sykkuno to leave and have relationships and he was happy for him that, despite Sykkuno’s insecurities, his friends wanted to spend time together. He was just getting used to feeling one human emotion at a time, the combination of happy and sad was tearing him up inside.

He had never felt so fully, completely, and utterly alone before this moment. Corpse curled in on himself on the couch and for the first time felt like he could cry. He almost wished demons possessed the ability, but the ominous glowing light he had instead of eyes didn’t really allow it.

“How do you do it? Just sit there by yourself while he’s gone…” The perfume plant he was glaring at didn’t respond. Maybe the lack of sentience gave the plant an edge. He wasn’t proud of the doubt that filled him in that moment. If he couldn’t handle something as basic to humans as time apart how would he handle the future? It wasn’t like he’d be able to go out and make friends of his own and he couldn’t let himself just…. be a parasite, leeching off Sykkuno’s kindness. The thought sickened him.

When Sykkuno made it home much later in the evening with a happy, flushed glow and chirped “I’m back!” into the space Corpse didn’t respond. Sykkuno’s brows knit in concern and he searched the house as if Corpse wasn’t just behind him, watching.

“Corpse? Are you here?” It took longer for Sykkuno to give up than Corpse thought it would, but eventually the human collapsed onto the couch with a sigh and switched on some show Corpse had never seen him watch before.

“Did I do something wrong?” It was so small that Corpse almost didn’t hear him. He wanted to reach out and run his fingers through Sykkuno’s hair and assure him that he hadn’t done anything, that this was all on Corpse failing to be even a basic human. Corpse did nothing instead.

Sykkuno gave up on the show before even one episode was over and started getting ready for bed. Corpse almost broke when Sykkuno didn’t look at himself in the mirror while he brushed his teeth, but he couldn’t do it. Sykkuno deserved so much better than him. He couldn’t just take and take from the human until he crumbled and left Corpse alone. Corpse could barely handle it now, he’d never handle it if they got closer.

Sykkuno shuffled into bed, pulling the covers almost over his head, and buried his face in his spare pillow. His arms wrapped around it like a lifeline. Corpse watched, waiting for the man to fall asleep. Instead he got a muffled sob.

“Please just talk to me.” Sykkuno was talking into the pillow, he probably didn’t even expect Corpse to really hear it. But he did and his heart broke. He couldn’t leave Sykkuno like this, not without answers. He finally let his form show and he slid under the covers, settling on his side so he could face Sykkuno. The human didn’t even look up from the pillow.

“I’m sorry.” What Corpse had tried to say was ‘I’m sorry that we can’t go on, that I can’t be with you’ but he was too weak. “I’m sorry I hurt you.” Sykkuno finally looked up at him, eyes red with held back tears.

“Why…”

“Because I’m scared of being too much for you. I’m scared of being alone.” Sykkuno pulled the pillow out from between them and tossed it to the side. Corpse went to reach out to him but Sykkuno had a different idea. He shuffled over awkwardly until he could be against Corpse. He didn’t do much more than grab the black shirt Corpse had fabricated to avoid being naked with shaking fingers, fighting his normally timid nature.

“I…” Sykkuno swallowed hard, steeling himself for whatever he wanted to say. “I want you to be too much.” Corpse made a choked off noise in his throat as protest but Sykkuno ignored it and continued. “No matter how many times I go out I’ll always uhm… I’ll always come home. I’ll always come home to you.”

Corpse didn’t have anything he could say to stand up to Sykkuno’s confession. All he could do was wrap his arms tight around the smaller form and drag Sykkuno flush against him. Sykkuno managed to wiggle his arms out from where Corpse had crushed them between their chests so he could hold the demon back.

“Please don’t disappear again.”

“I won’t.”

When Corpse opened his eyes the next morning Sykkuno was still sleeping next to him, looking adorable in the sunlight streaming through half-closed blinds. In human terms it might have been weird to just watch someone sleep, but he was a demon and he didn’t feel bad about just drinking in the sight until Sykkuno stirred.

First when he cracked his eyes open he smiled over at Corpse, but then his face twisted into pure confusion. Sykkuno brushed his fingertips over Corpse’s face slowly and Corpse couldn’t suppress the giggle at the ticklish sensation.

“Uhm Corpse why is… Uh.” Sykkuno was still staring at him and Corpse was starting to match his concerned expression. “Why is your face like that?”

“Like what?” Sykkuno dragged him out of the bed and to a standing mirror in the corner of his bedroom. Corpse was not expecting one human eye to be staring back at him. The iris was red, sure, but this was still a very fucking human eye. He brought his fingers up to touch the very fucking human skin around it and suddenly remembered his very fucking human fingernails.

“I have to go.” Sykkuno panicked at Corpse’s declaration.

“Wait you said –“ Corpse cut him off by pulling him into a hug.

“I’ll be back, I promise. I just have to talk to someone about,” he gestured awkwardly at his face, “this.” Sykkuno nodded an okay against his chest and Corpse was gone.

It had been a long time since he had been in hell. It was a dreary, awful place but the person he needed to see was here, sitting behind a desk in what looked like a beige office building. He honestly almost preferred the fire and brimstone to the corporate abyss. She didn’t even notice him at first, picking at her nails and turning on a creaking, bright orange office chair. She halted the second she saw him.

“God damn it Corpse you aren’t supposed to fall in love with them.” Her New Jersey accent was thick, she had spent a lot of time there but Corpse didn’t think demons usually picked up accents.

“Is that… what happened to you?” She rolled her eyes at him. Human eyes. All of her features were human except for the start of two small horns on either side of her bangs.

“Yes obviously.” She kicked a spare office chair over to him and he sat with a heavy thud. The old metal groaned under him.

“But… you’re back in hell. Why did you leave?” She looked him dead in the eyes and he felt intimidated. She had always been a better demon than him before.

“I didn’t leave. It’s always the same isn’t it? She left me.” All of the doubt Corpse had managed to fight off before came flooding back. She wasn’t wrong, the humans were always the one who abandoned the house.

“So it’s a mistake then?” His voice was lower and quieter than usual, and then he felt her reach out to hold his arm in comfort. Demons never comforted each other.

“No.” She pulled away, lounging back to pick at her nails again. They were growing back into claws and they must have been itching.

“I’d do it all over again I –“ She cut herself off, closing her eyes to collect herself. “I miss all the human stuff.” It was probably the most reassuring thing Corpse had heard. He stood, rolling the chair back over to her. He had someone to get back to.

“Thanks.”

“Yeah no problem.” She waved a hand dismissively at him, but as he turned to leave called out. “Corpse wait!”

“Yeah?” She was standing closer to him now, unsure of herself for the first time since he’d know her.

“Do you want to, you know...” She grimaced as if asking caused her actual pain. “You know, be friends. You could visit here, I could visit you… there aren’t many demons in our position.” He smiled down at her.

“Yeah uh… Yeah I’d like that.”

Sykkuno was pacing around the living room when he made it back and he sagged with relief when he saw that Corpse was alive and well. Corpse laughed and ruffled his hair affectionately.

“Worried?” Sykkuno looked away embarrassed and mumbled something that sounded a lot like yes behind his hand. “I’m fine.” Sykkuno took a step closer, standing just a few inches from Corpse.

“What happened?” Corpse blushed and this time it apparently showed on the patches of human skin because Sykkuno was half laughing at him.

“Apparently when we lo – really like a human this happens.” Corpse touched the skin on his face, a little more had changed since the morning and when he ran his tongue across his teeth they were mostly human now too. Sykkuno hummed in acknowledgement.

“You know I lo - really like you too. I uh… I liked you before this change but.” Sykkuno suddenly laughed at himself and stepped away. Corpse stood still, Sykkuno was hyperventilating through his laughter now and Corpse didn’t know what to do about it.

“But?” Corpse managed to ask after a beat. Sykkuno finally seemed to calm down and a new confidence graced his features. He was advancing on Corpse and it almost made the demon back up.

“But this definitely has its benefits too.”

“Like wha-“ He was cut off by Sykkuno’s lips on his. He froze. He had never kissed a human before and he _really_ liked it. It felt like his whole body was on fire but in the best way. Before he could get his arms around Sykkuno though the man broke the kiss and looked at him terrified. Apparently not kissing back was a bad thing.

“Did you not – I mean I’m sor-” Corpse returned the favor and smashed his lips back against Sykkuno’s to show the human just how much he really did. He felt Sykkuno’s arms around his neck so he slipped his own around the human’s back to pull him even closer. He wasn’t used to his new lips, but if Sykkuno’s small whimper when Corpse ran a tongue across his bottom lip was any indication he was doing something right. Before it could go any farther he pulled back to look at Sykkuno.

“Definitely a benefit.” Sykkuno grinned, and pulled him back in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for all the kudos and comments! It really helped me get through this stressful week and my exam (which I did great on btw) (:  
> <3 <3 <3


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